It’s impossible to avoid the advertisements for painkillers – they’re eon every screen we use today. And the ads make it seem so safe to take those little pills. But we’re in the throes of a serious opioid addiction epidemic in the country – doctors prescribe painkillers for an acute problem, but then you can’t get off the drug.

I do understand that when you’re in pain you want something that will alleviate the problem right now. But to keep doing that on a long-term basis, without finding the cause of the pain, can lead to more serious health issues.

The Underlying Cause of Headaches

Headaches can be caused by many health conditions. Here are 7 things to check if you suffer from regular headaches:

Food: Eliminate all possible triggers from your diet for at least two weeks. That means no refined carbohydrates, alcohol, fast-acting sugars, caffeine containing foods, hydrogenated fats and oils. Also on the list to avoid are the main headache-triggering foods – oranges, red meat, dairy, wheat and corn. After two weeks introduce them again one-by-one and see if any of them cause the headache.

Spinal adjustment: See a good chiropractor and check for any possible structural problems (Cranial, TMJ, Spine)

Glycemic Issues: This is your blood sugar levels: do you feel worse if meals are delayed and better after eating? Check for Insulin resistance: do you crave sugar and caffeine/feel sleepy after eating.

Digestive Distress: If digestive distress (nausea) causes the headache, check your gallbladder/liver function and low hydrochloric acid production from the stomach. Your so-called indigestion might not be from too much acid, but rather too little.

Mineral Deficiency: If the headaches have been determined to be true migraine headaches and structural/dietary problems are not present, rule out both a magnesium and choline deficiency.

Thyroid function: If the headaches occur primarily in the morning and wear off as the day goes on, check your thyroid function.

Stress-related: If the headaches occur with just a moderate amount of physical or psychological stress, check for any adrenal dysfunction.

This is by no means a complete list, but it is a good place to start. Once you find the underlying cause of the headaches, choose a natural remedy to handle the problem. When you find the cause of the headaches and correct it, you’ll have no need for those painkillers.